


The Club

by queenofcats



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Crossdressing, Doctor Who AU, Gen, Sorry Not Sorry, there is a reason for this, which won't be revealed now
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-17
Updated: 2016-07-17
Packaged: 2018-07-24 13:51:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,613
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7510789
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/queenofcats/pseuds/queenofcats
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is a small piece that I've taken from a fic I'm working on. It's the Doctor Who AU that no one asked for.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Club

**Author's Note:**

> If it doesn't make sense, that's because it's only a tiny portion of the thousands of words that I've written and got planned. Lol. Naturally, I feel as though Erwin would be pretty good as a time traveling alien. And Levi would make a great companion.

 

A few moments pass for Levi, although his eyes are shut and the Commander informs him he passed out. 

 

"Why am I in hospital?" he asks, once he's coherent and able to speak.

 

"The key was for a weapon, one that I didn't quite know how to use properly. I'm afraid I injured you accidentally, as the whole building collapsed. It was quite the spectacle, though." 

 

Levi can feel his ankle aching, and figures that must be part of it. 

 

He stares at the Commander for a few moments, studying his face. As much as he hates to admit it, the Commander is an attractive man, the first person he's ever thought of in this way.

 

"My home was destroyed because of you. Anyone I've ever known is dead or missing because of you. And I'm in hospital because of you. You need to seriously get out of my fucking sight before I snap your neck." Levi spits. He knows he has every right to be mad, but perhaps there's something broken inside him because he quite honestly doesn't feel anything about what he's just said. He doesn't want to hurt the Commander, and he can't figure out why. He should, and he knows he should, for all the reasons he stated. But he, on a subconscious level, sort of trusts him, and can't even begin to imagine why.

 

"I know. And you have my sincerest apologies for all of those things. I can understand why you might not want to have me here, however, I have an offer for you." the Commander says, drumming his fingers on his chair. "Since you have nowhere to go, and no one to be with, and I have multiple vacancies to fill, would you be interested in accompanying me on my travels?"

 

Levi is silent for a moment, completely stunned by the audacity this man has to ask him something like that. At least, he should be stunned, but right now, it actually sounds like a good idea. He considers it, and then begins laughing.

 

The Commander looks a little confused as he observes, thick eyebrows raising slightly.

 

"Did I say something... funny?" he asks.

 

Levi shakes his head, wiping the tears from his eyes. "No- No, fuck no." he replies, a little breathless. "Nothing funny at all."

 

"But you're laughing." The Commander points out. 

 

"I know."

 

\---

 

It's white, clinical, almost like a hospital. Almost like his room.

 

Levi is in awe of it, though. "Not bad." he murmurs. "Not bad at all..."

 

A huge control... thing takes up the centre of the room, but even with that, Levi can tell that it's expansive and spacious. It's very obviously alien, but sort of retro in a way. It reminds Levi of what people used to think alien technology looked like. The alien feel is made worse by the fact that there's whirring noises and other strange sounds, but to be frank, he feels at home here, more than he ever has in any place before. 

 

"You like it, huh?" The Commander says, that terribly cute smile gracing his face. Levi doesn't even want to think about how strongly he feels for this stranger, so in his usual fashion, he's going to compress those feelings and bottle them up until he can't bear it. "Notice anything unusual about it?"

 

"It's alien?" Levi tries. He's not sure what the Commander is actually asking about, so he's going to point out the obvious.

 

"Well, obviously." the Commander chuckles. "But something about the size... Come on, Levi. You're a smart boy."

 

"I'm not a boy." Levi replies. "I'm nineteen." 

 

"I'm nine hundred and nineteen." The Commander grins. "We almost match."

 

Levi pales a little. "How old?" he questions, slightly worried that he's trapped in a weird machine with a man nine hundred years older than him.

 

"Nine hundred and- That's not a problem for you, is it?" The Commander stills his hands on the control panel he was fiddling with, blue eyes flicking up to take notice of Levi's expression.

 

"You look... younger. Early thirties, perhaps." Levi replies, slowly. He realises, of course, that he would have been fine with that, fine with someone maybe fifteen years or so older than him, but not someone who was nine hundred years older. He'd never considered it, he'd just... gone with the Commander, without a second thought. Not even thinking about who he was, how old he was, what he did. The Commander was a stranger, and he'd just left his home with him without even thinking about it. Levi could have stayed, could have helped sort things out. His gut twists, perhaps he shouldn't be doing this, perhaps he shouldn't be here. Kenny would happily take him back- no, Kenny was long gone, most likely living somewhere in the South, and anyway, he'd probably already disowned Levi. If they really were related, of course. 

 

"Thank you." The Commander says, resuming his motions. He twist things and pulls levers and presses buttons, a concentrated look in his eyes. "You looked older than nineteen. I think it's your face, maybe the eyes. You've seen a lot." 

 

"I have." Levi states flatly. If the Commander is going to do this, say things like that, there's no point in hiding from him. The reason he followed him was because he trusts him, for some insane reason that he still can't quite fathom. He needs to be honest to make sure that that trust goes both ways.

 

"I think then," the Commander begins, patting down the surface of his board, "that that means you can decide where we go first."

 

Levi frowns. He doesn't care where they go, he finds. He just wants to get away. 

 

"Where could we go?" he asks, tentatively. 

 

The Commander shrugs. "Past, future, present. We can travel through space, too, I can take you to see the stars." 

 

"You're the expert." Levi says. "You decide."

 

\--

 

 

"So, I have to wear... this just because I'm human?" Levi asks, gesturing to the scrap of fabric on the hanger. 

 

"Mhmm..." the Commander replies, smirking devilishly. "It's 'Earth club night' at the Disco 2000, and they have a very strict dress code." He thrusts a flyer into Levi's hands.

 

Bright yellow letters tell him that humans, alongside a variety of other species, must wear clothes that resemble traditional human female club clothing. Apparently, the people that run this Disco 2000 don't realise that humans are more rigid in their gender roles than other species. 

 

"It's leopard print, for fuck's sake." Levi finally sighs. "At least let me wear something a little less trashy."

 

"I'm afraid that while my wardrobe is extensive, I only have one dress that remotely fits what you need to wear. It's leopard print or nothing. Sorry." The Commander shrugs, and makes a gesture that tells Levi it's out of his control. 

 

"Fine." he says, grabbing the dress and storming off to the changing room. 

 

The Commander's ship, the TARDIS, is huge. Levi thought that the control room was big, but that's one room out of what the Commander tells him is near six hundred other rooms, including a swimming pool. Levi isn't even going to doubt that, since everything else about the TARDIS is so ridiculous and unbelievable. It would make sense that it had more than just a few rooms. He's even been given a bedroom of his own, a large peach coloured thing that looks like it's more suited to a young woman than a guy like Levi. But he can't complain, the Commander has treated him better in the few hours they've known each other than Kenny treated him in his whole goddamn life. 

 

He undresses, his hospital gown dropping to the floor easily. Levi looks at himself in the mirror. He's sort of muscular, having trained his body infrequently- the main focus of his job was handling weapons, but he has his mother's figure, Kenny always told him. Narrow shoulders, tiny waist, broad hips, and a round ass and thighs. According to Kenny, if he hadn't rescued Levi, he could have made a killing as a stripper or something.

 

He pulls on the dress, ignoring how weird it is to be wearing women's clothing. He checks himself out in the mirror again, sort of pleased. He looks decent, the dress fits well and brings out his better parts. His legs look a little too hairy, even his thighs do. But oh well, he thinks. If some damn aliens want him to wear a fucking dress on such short notice, they need to deal with the fact that not all humans have hairless bodies. 

 

The Commander is waiting outside for him, transparent stripper heels in hand and a delighted smile on his face. 

 

"You look... amazing." he says, and Levi thinks he genuinely means it.

 

"Whatever..." he replies, snatching the shoes away. "How did you know my size?"

 

"The TARDIS, she scans your body. A lot of these clothes are custom made." the Commander replies, gesturing to the racks of clothing around them both. 

 

Once Levi has the heels on, he can almost look the Commander straight in the eyes. 

 

"Fuck, these are huge." he says, wobbling slightly. "But surprisingly comfortable."

 

\---

 

They open the doors of the TARDIS to see the weirdest corridor Levi's ever been in his life. It's drowned in purple and magenta lighting, but if it weren't for those obnoxious lights they'd be shrouded in darkness, so Levi has to just take it as it comes. The ceiling is like a tunnel, almost, although the outlines of geometric shapes jut out, like someone designed it to look like an artificial dahlia flower, or beehive. The lines of it glow white, which actually looks pretty cool. 

 

The Commander takes his hand, and walks to the main door, where a gold-skinned creature stands. They're tall and androgynous, wearing a shirt and trousers. Clearly their species must be allowed to wear male clubwear. Fucking lucky bastard, Levi thinks, tugging down the dress. If he isn't careful, he might end up flashing his junk. Not good. 

 

"Erwin Smith, how are you?" they say, grinning. "Got yourself a date, have you? She's pretty."

 

The creature leers at Levi, goggled eyes raking up and down over his body. Levi feels exposed, naked, as though those eyes can see everything. They lick their lips like they could eat Levi up right there and then, but luckily their attention is drawn away from him.

 

"Stunning, Hange, stunning." the Commander corrects. "Levi is more than just pretty."

 

Hange says "Ah", and then slaps Levi on the back, his bare skin stinging slightly. He's red in the face from the fact the Commander didn't correct his pronouns, and that he called him stunning. 

 

"Apologies. Adjectives sometimes confuse me." they say, before turning to the Commander again. "So, two for tonight, right?" 

 

"Yes, thanks." the Commander says. 

 

"Drinks are on the house, Winnie, and admission is free 'cause tonight we're celebrating your girlfriend's home planet." Hange says, still smiling. They push open the door, and gesture for the two men to go in. 

 

The Commander doesn't even stop to say anything to Hange this time, he just holds tighter onto Levi's hand and leads him into the club. 

 

It's truly amazing. Levi's never been to a club before, but he had a vague idea of what they looked like inside. This is... Well, it exceeds his expectations completely. 

 

It's all round blobby installations, pod-like seating arrangements, curvy corridors and dreamy, shiny, deep blue surfaces with orange lights peeking out from the cut outs in the walls. It's like being in a trippy aquarium, and it definitely looks like an alien nightclub, to be quite honest. It stretches over what must be twice the distance of an aircraft hangar, it's truly the biggest room he's ever been in, even bigger than the rooms in the TARDIS. 

 

"It can hold twenty thousand people." the Commander tells him. "It's meant to be the biggest nightclub this side of the galaxy. Twice as big as the biggest one on Earth."

 

Levi nods, almost a little overwhelmed by the size of it alone, not to mention the people dancing, aliens of all shapes and sizes pressed up close to each other. It's like a scene out of Star Wars, although a cheap porn version of it. 

 

"I need them to think you're female for a reason, don't worry about it. We can't talk too much about it here, but..." the Commander says. "Hange owns the place, by the way. They know me as Erwin, so..."

 

Levi nods. "Alright, then, Erwin." The name sounds odd coming out of his mouth, but it does suit the Commander. He frowns suddenly. "How comes I can- Well, I knew what they were saying to you. They speak English?"

 

"No." the Commander- Erwin- replies. "The TARDIS has a translation system. You hear English and speak whatever language you need. It's pretty clever."

 

"Yeah, sounds it." he says. He looks about, concentrating to the music he can hear. "Oh, this is um- Pulp?" 

 

"Yes." Erwin nods, smiling brightly. "That's what the club's named after- Disco 2000." 

He begins dancing like a dad, all jerky movements and uncoordinated limbs. 

 

"Is that your version of dancing?" Levi asks, lips curling into a smile.

 

"Nah, it's Jarvis Cocker's." 

 

Levi raises an eyebrow. "Who?"

 

"Front man of Pulp." Erwin replies, still dancing in his waistcoat and trousers. He looks like an old man, but a strangely sexy old man. Levi's eyes drift across the Commander's body, the way his broad chest moves, and his thick thighs... It's frankly unfair that he looks so attractive, and Levi quickly reminds himself that he shouldn't be thinking things like this about the Commander. He catches sight of what he's packing, though, and his face flushes even deeper red. He's never seen another man's body, and he's never really wanted to. But he can see why some of the other soldiers were so obsessed with it now, with seeing naked people and with having sex. He wonders if it's normal that the Commander brings out that side in people, or whether he's just broken. 

 

"Drink?" Erwin asks. He stops dancing and takes hold of Levi's hand again, thick fingers grasping Levi's own thin ones tightly. He feels safe when he touches him, and that scares him.

 

The bar is a long silver thing that stretches on for what could be miles, although Levi can't quite tell. He's too busy staring at the- the thing that's serving them. It's got a round pale green head, with a bulging section out the back. Two large black eyes sit at the front of its head, but there's two more pairs that are placed above it, smaller and more cat-like. All six eyes blink at different times, which is highly disconcerting. It has a small chin and two tusks that droop down, a skeletal mask thing covers its mouth. 

 

"What do you want?" the thing asks. Levi looks towards Erwin, hoping he knows what to order. 

 

"Uh, we'll get two of your most popular drink." the blond says, smiling a smile that doesn't quite reach his eyes. It's the one he puts on for other people, Levi has noticed. He likes that Erwin only smiles properly for him, although he doesn't even know why he does it. 

 

Two bright purple drinks are slammed down on the bar, glitter swirling inside them. Erwin moves Levi so he sits down on one of the stools, and he takes the one next to him, picking up his drink as he goes. Levi takes his own drink in hand, eyeing the vibrantly coloured liquid suspiciously. He takes a sniff of it- it's fruity and almost comfortingly familiar. 

 

"If I die, it's your fucking fault and I'm gonna haunt you." Levi says, raising his eyebrows at the Commander.

 

"You won't die." he replies. "This is meant to be a human cocktail. If anyone dies, it'll be me." 

 

"Alright then." Levi holds his glass up. "Cheers."

 

Erwin clinks his glass against Levi's, and they both take a sip of the drink. It tastes good, really good, sweet and light. 

 

"Not bad." 

 

Erwin grins. "Then down it." 

 

Levi furrows his brows. "Down it?" he asks. 

 

"Mhmm." the Commander replies. "Drink it all in one go. I'll do it too."

 

He's bobbing his head to the music, a different Brit pop track that Levi just about recognises. The way his blond hair flops about is strangely charming, and Levi wants to push it backwards, run his fingers through those soft-looking golden strands. 

 

"Alright." he says, on a whim. He raises the glass to his lips, and drinks it all down, trying to breath through his nose as he does so. Purple liquid gathers in drips around the sides of his mouth, and he uses the back of his hand to wipe it away. The unhygienic nature of it does put him off, but he figures he's got to die at some point. He might as well live life in the moment. 

 

He slams his glass on the bar table, and looks challengly up at Erwin. "Come on then, old man. Show me what you're made of."

 

Erwin grins, and then gulps his drink down in one go. Levi is mesmerised by how his throat bobs, how the drink spills a little down his chin, and he's concerned by the fact he wants to lick it away, and to kiss it dry. 

 

"That was very good." the Commander says, breathlessly. The drink still drips down his chin, onto the expensive looking trousers he wears, and it's as though Erwin can feel Levi judging him, because he quickly wipes it away with his sleeve. 

 

Ten of those drinks later, and Erwin is pulling Levi to dance. He's never tried to dance, never wanted or needed to, so he just copies what the other... people in the room are doing, gyrating his hips slightly, and moving his arms like they're made out of water- fluid and graceful. 

 

Erwin dances like an old man, as he did before, but still, he looks better than the rest of the people on the floor. His blue eyes dart about, and he looks as though he's suddenly got an idea. 

 

"Hey, there's sixty floors here. Do you wanna go somewhere a little groovier?" he asks, wiggling his thick eyebrows. 

 

Levi frowns. "Groovier? You're such an old man, old man." 

 

"Yeah, I know." the Commander grins, and then he winks. Levi wishes his cock didn't respond to that, since his dress isn't the sort that could cover it. 

 

"Anyway, the floor at the top is dance and funk stuff, so... Do you wanna go up? It's a garden, and you've got the best views of the whole planet there." Erwin continues, still smiling. 

 

"Sure." Levi says. A little fresh air will do him good, he thinks. He's definitely feeling those drinks, so it might help to release the fog in his mind, the one that's screaming at him to kiss those soft full lips in front of him.

 

\---

 

The lift, it turns out, is not a lift at all. It's a teleport system, run by a short, squat alien with blobby features and limbs. It frankly makes Levi feel better about how he looks in comparison to a man of god-like handsomeness like Erwin. Once they appear at the top of the building, Levi stumbles. Seven inch stripper heels are not ideal footwear to reappear in. Erwin catches him with his ample chest, and Levi's fingers squeeze on instinct. The muscle he grabs hold of is thick, and he wants to feel him up a little more, but he's long overstepped the mark of normal contact.

 

He jumps back, although the Commander doesn't seem to have minded much that he was pretty much just groping him.

 

Erwin leads him to dance under a tree, and it's here that Levi realises their surroundings. Skyscrapers fill the horizon, every single on of them is taller than the building they're on. Neon lights stripe up and down the neighbouring buildings, and he can see flashing lights through the windows.

 

"Is this a... party planet, or something?" Levi asks, having to speak loudly because the music is pretty loud up here. He's confused but also slightly awestruck by the view. 

 

Erwin shakes his head. "No, not a party planet. A business one. We're being watched, by the people in those buildings. They're filled with workers from the corporations that have settled here. We're like a live music channel for them."

 

Levi isn't sure how he feels about being watched, but he carries on dancing as though he isn't. The drink has that effect on him. 

 

There's a sign on the side of a building that flashes with the words "MUSIC UP". The music gets louder with that, and so the people partying dance a little harder. Levi figures that they're being controlled by the people in the skyscrapers. Again, he's not sure how he feels about that.

 

He wants to distract himself, so he focuses on the Commander.

 

"So, I've noticed..." Levi begins, trying to be heard over the thudding bass of some 90s dance track.

 

"Speak up!" the Commander says, pulling Levi close. He's suddenly aware of how little clothing he has on, how the Commander's hands feel on his skin, how pretty his eyes look close up. It's probably the cocktails talking, but he could almost lean in and-

 

"Why didn't you change?" he says, instead of kissing the Commander. 

 

Before Erwin can reply, a noise comes from the side of the garden.

 

It's a scream, and as though it's part of his nature, Erwin instantly goes over to investigate, dragging Levi by the hand. 

 

\---

 

The body writhes and shakes, pupils blown wide and skin bubbling away. It's bright green and oily, absolutely disgusting in Levi's opinion. 

Erwin is knelt down beside it, fingers trying to find a pulse.

 

"I'm afraid she's dead." he says, voice sombre and serious. He looks up at the person next to him, a small green creature with elfin ears and gills and fluffy blue hair. It's almost cute. The creature begins sobbing and it throws its arms around Erwin, holding him close. 

 

"Go explore, Levi. Be back here in an hour, okay?" the Commander says, stony, cold face on. He does as he's told, leaving Erwin to comfort some strange alien. 

 

He goes back down the lift, trying to get away from the feeling he has, like he wants to crawl out of his skin and run away. It's too much, too alien. There's weird drinks, weird people, weird customs, and weird situations, like some gross creature dying right in front of him. Levi isn't sure he can handle this place for too much longer. He figures it's probably because he's coming down from the alcohol.

 

The teleportation doesn't help the weird feeling, so he ends up rushing to the one place that he knows will be normal, the one place that he'd never usually chose to go - the bathrooms.

 

The toilets do look like your average, run of the mill ones that you'd find anywhere, and this floor is pretty much just him and a few groups of people outside, so the toilets are completely empty. The only strange thing is that the room has to be opened by an eye scanner, but that's it. 

 

He stares at himself in the mirror, trying to remind himself that he is okay, and that Erwin will keep him safe. He trusts the Commander, and so far that trust hasn't been proven misplaced. 

 

"Uh, excuse me?" a voice says. It's another alien, although she's more human looking, just with bright orange skin and eyes the colour of honey - sclera, pupil and all.

 

"Yeah?" Levi replies, finding it easier to talk to this stranger because he can identify that she's vaguely normal, not some strange creature from fuck knows where. 

 

"You're beautiful." Large eyes blink a few times, and then the alien speaks again. "You're human, right? From Earth? What's it like?"

 

Levi feels a little uncomfortable that he's just been called beautiful, but he ignores it.

 

"Yeah, from Earth. Human." he nods, slowly. "It's... Home, I guess." 

 

The alien smiles. "Ral." she says, putting out her hand. "Ral Petora, but you can call me Petra. I'm Hange's wife."

 

He takes her hand and shakes it. "I'm with th- Erwin. I'm with Erwin."

 

Petra nods. "He's lovely, isn't he?" she smiles. "Very kind, but also very serious. You have to look after him for us, okay?" 

 

"Well, I think he rather enjoys looking after me, so..." Levi trails off. Petra gives him another sunny smile, and leans forward to kiss his cheek. He lets her, figuring it's just a weird thing that aliens like her do.

 

She nods at him again, and leaves. "See you soon, uh...?"

 

"Levi." he supplies. 

 

"See you soon, Levi." she says, and the door shuts behind her.

 

He figures he should wash his hands, then leave. The lights flicker on and off, though, and it concerns him a little. A black shadow appears in the corner of his eye, and then he really begins to worry. 

 

He washes his hands quickly, and then heads straight for the door. Rather unsurprisingly, he finds that the door won't open because the eye scanner won't pick anything up. So he's trapped. Naturally, Levi panics, trying to beat the door down with brute strength, but a message reads on the scanner that he must stop damaging Disco 2000's property.

 

"So you'll sense that I'm trying to fuck about with your door, but you won't pick up my fucking eyes. Shitty computer." he mutters. 

 

He feels something behind him, and turns to see the black shadow from before trailing across his peripheral vision. 

 

"Fuck me..." he sighs. He's shitting it, absolutely terrified. Not armed and not trained for anything that isn't human, Levi is at the mercy of whatever's in the bathroom. 

 

"Levi?" he suddenly hears, in the place of the music that had long since become background noise. 

 

It's Erwin, the Commander, and he's obviously talking over the comms system. 

 

"Yes!" he shouts, although it's not as though there's a point to this, Erwin can't hear him. 

 

"I can't hear you, if you're trying to talk to me, but if you can set off one of the scanners, I can find where you are. Something's gone wrong and it's serious." he continues, tinny voice getting on Levi's nerves. 

 

He pounds on the door again, trying to make the scanner display that message.

 

"Ah, damaging property. Typical human." Erwin sighs, and the amusement he feels is clear in how he sounds. "Alright, don't move a muscle. I'm coming to get you."

 

WIthin a few minutes, there's Erwin's voice from the other side of the door. "Levi? Are you in here?"

 

"Fuck, yes!" he says. "And there's something in here with me!"

 

"It's on the system, but I can't see it properly. Describe it." the Commander says, and Levi can hear him trying to use the eye scanner.

 

"It's just a shadow, it's a black shadow. And the scanner's fucked, don't bother." Levi replies. 

 

The shadow reappears, closer to Levi. It's cold, so very cold, like some sort of angel of death. It's terrifying. Wisps and curls of black smoke threaten to reach out and caress his skin. Levi doesn't want to let it.

 

"Erwin, come on." he says, sounding pretty worried.

 

"Hang on, give me a moment." the Commander replies. He hears buzzing, and the pitch gets higher. The door opens outwards, and Levi falls backwards into Erwin's arms.

 

The blond isn't concerned by that, instead he's busy staring up at the shadow that's in the process of disappearing.

 

"Oh, how beautiful." Erwin says, staring straight at it. He schools his expression from one of awe and adoration into a more grave, harsher one. "And it helps me a lot. Levi, come with me."

 

\---

 

They end up back on the garden level, and Levi notices a few more bright green bodies have been lined up in the corner. The music has been turned off, although there are signs flashing on the sides of buildings to 'TURN IT ON'. 

 

People are crying, which scares Levi and he looks to Erwin to find out what the fuck is going on. The Commander wears that creepy smile again, the one he wore when they were back on Earth. Levi doesn't like the look of it, not one bit. 

 

"Good evening everyone." Erwin says, loudly. His dominating presence is the reason the rest of the people on the floor turn to look at him. Some are wiping tears away, others look numb. Levi feels bad for them all, though. They might not be human, but it's still a waste of life that innocent people died tonight. 

 

"I'm curious as to whether any of you have ever been to the planet Shiganshina." he continues, and Levi frowns, wondering what the hell he's doing. "There was a plague there, many years ago. Does anyone here remember?"

 

A few people murmur, nodding their heads and making general affirmative noises and gestures. 

 

"It was terrifiying, wasn't it? The idea that you could die because of an waterborne disease is enough to scare anyone." Erwin still looks stern, and so the others nod again. "What if I told you that those people over there died of it?" 

 

Without warning, a black mass forms in the centre of the garden, under the tree Levi had danced near earlier. It looks like a bigger, blacker version of the shadow he'd seen in the toilet. 

 

"As I thought." the Commander declares. "You're all terrified, and that proves it."

 

He points to the shadow. "This is a creature that thrives on fear. Its physical form depends on whether you are afraid of it or not. It's capable of harnessing that fear and using it to manifest itself. Very clever, if you ask me."

 

"However, I happen to know that the last of these creatures is held in captivity because it's too dangerous to allow it to live amongst other living things. So, the question is: why is it here?"

 

Erwin raises a thick eyebrow as though he expects someone to answer, before sighing quietly. "As you all know, we're the entertainment for multiple corporations and businesses and those with enough money to buy a building on this planet." he continues. "They're watching us," he points to the buildings around the club, "and they're manipulating you into being afraid, perhaps for fun, perhaps for something more sinister. But, the reason doesn't matter, because for one such group of people, it's not enough to create the illusion of danger, they have to make it real, which is there's a creature that lives off of terrifying you here, and why in some of your drinks is that disease from Shiganshina."

 

A few people talk about how horrific that is, before another begins weeping at the idea that their friends had been killed just for entertainment. Levi begins to feel a little scared, because even though he knows he can trust Erwin, there's the potential for them all to die.

 

"What do we do?" Levi asks Erwin, worriedly. "We can't just leave that shadow thing here, can we? And the drinks, we have no way of knowing which ones have it in there, do we?"

 

The Commander shakes his head. "I'm afraid not. And it's incredibly dangerous for these people to be here if we can't do something. We have no choice but to evacuate. If there's one of them, there's bound to be more. It reproduces very quickly, and well... the more there are, the more fun it is for our watchers. Plus, I'm worried about the diseases in the drinks. If they're going to put waterborne ones in there, who's to say that they won't suddenly spray us with something?"

 

"How will we get everyone out?" Levi asks, understanding the urgency of the situation. His heart is racing, but he's used to training for situations like this, where there are people he has to save.  There are potentially twenty thousand people in the building, though, and it's well above the number he's used to dealing with.

 

"I can... make some adjustments to the teleport system." Erwin says, and Levi can practically see his thoughts racing. It's brilliant, but almost scary at the same time. "It requires four hands, though, so you're going to have to work with me."

 

\---

 

"There is no-one left in the world that I can hold onto... There is really no-one left at all. There is only you." Erwin sings under his breath, long blond eyelashes fluttering as he blinks, head turned down to focus on the machine. Levi is stretched across the arch of it, on tiptoes in seven inch heels, trying to hold a particular wire in place. 

 

"I'm gonna take a wild guess, Levi, and say you don't know that song either." he says, smiling slightly. A brief flick of blue towards him, and then Erwin is concentrating on the copper glinting between his fingers again. 

 

"Uh, no. Should I? Or is it just you being an old man again?" Levi asks, adjusting his position so his ass isn't sticking out quite so much. 

 

Snip, snip, breathy chuckle. "Yes, just me being an old man." 

 

Levi nods to himself, resting his forehead against the cold metal of the arch. He feels a hand on his shoulder, Erwin's standing up, and he looks sad. 

 

"We're done here. There's a problem, though. Someone needs to stay behind to operate it." he says. Levi thinks back to the short, round alien that was in charge of it before, and sighs. 

 

"You want to stay behind, don't you?" Erwin's expression says it all, really, and Levi needs no answer. "I'll stay with you, then. We have the TARDIS, don't we?"

 

Erwin nods. "We do, but you should go now. Just stay in it, wait for me." 

 

It takes every ounce of self control in Levi's body not to disobey, not to talk back and question Erwin's thinking. 

 

"Okay." he says, nodding. "I'll trust your decision, this time at least."

 

He wants it to be clear that he's not some dog that Erwin can order about, he's here because he's his equal, and he can make decisions about his wellbeing just as well as Erwin can. 

 

"Thank you." Erwin says, briefly glancing upwards. He looks guilty, as though he believes there was something he could have done to stop those other creatures from dying. 

 

"See you in a minute, then..." Levi turns and pats Erwin's shoulder, before walking towards the exit, where the TARDIS is located. "Oh, and if you die, I get to keep your tea collection, okay, old man?" 

 

Erwin gives him a brief smile, although it is a genuine one, one that warms Levi's heart. He knows that he's made Erwin feel better, even for a fraction of a second, and that's enough for him. 

 

\---

 

Inside the TARDIS, he switches the little screen on, the screen that allows him to watch Erwin's every move. He sees him use the comms system to announce to everyone that they should enter the lifts, and make arrangements to be picked up from the nearest moon. Erwin then opens a panel in the lift controls, and he presses buttons, ones which look totally random to Levi, but must make some sort of sense to the Commander. 

 

After a while, the scanner shows that there are only a few life forms left in the building. He counts twenty- one must be Erwin, and two must be Hange and Petra, but he doesn't know why the other seventeen won't leave. Erwin looks concerned though, and he calls through the comms for Hange, Petra, and Moblit to all come down to the bottom floor. 

 

They do so, Hange pulling along both Petra and a medium height mousy looking thing, all pale blond fur and big brown eyes. That must be Moblit. So, there are four people he knows of that are still alive, the other sixteen must be... the shadow creatures? The Commander did say they reproduced quickly. 

 

As he begins pulling off his shoes, assuming that Erwin will come back soon, he hears a shriek from the screen. Multiple creatures surround the four he can see, and Petra looks terrified. 

 

He watches as the creatures become bigger, feeding off the fear that Petra must be giving them. Erwin pulls something out of his pocket, and he can hear the buzzing sound he heard in the bathroom coming from it. The lift sets on fire, and the Commander begins running, pulling the three aliens along with him. Within moments, the whole room is on fire, and things are beginning to spark and explode. 

 

The TARDIS door opens, and finally Levi can release that breath he was holding, because Erwin is safe and alive.

 

Hange holds Moblit and Petra, while Levi runs across to throw himself at Erwin, pulling the taller man in for a hug. It's embarrassing, but he thinks it can be excused- his only ride home could have died. 

 

"Levi!" Erwin smiles, wrapping his arms around Levi's small waist, and squeezing. It makes his stomach flip, and he doesn't know how to feel about that. He feels so tiny and safe in Erwin's arms, it's weird. 

 

They hug for a moment too long, when Erwin pulls away to set the TARDIS off.

 

"Erwin Smith!" Hange finally says, disapprovingly but still amused. "I thought you were going to let us die."

 

Erwin's eyebrows raise before he catches on that Hange is only teasing. "Apologies, Hange. I was saving the most important people for last." He then winks at the golden skinned alien, who laughs. 

 

"Ah, you sly fox. I'm afraid I've already got a husband, so you'll have to wait in line." they say, pulling Moblit close to them. He smiles nervously, although Levi can see he doesn't truly mind being up close to his... spouse. "Besides, I wasn't aware Time Lords could have more than one partner at a time." 

 

"No, I once had a couple of people traveling with me." Erwin says, seriously, not catching on to what Hange means. He's pumping away at the control panel, and avoiding everyone's gaze. Blue eyes look almost sad, and Levi feels the urge to just comfort him. He won't, though. He's sat down on one of the seats, legs crossed and arms spread on the back of it, almost sulking because he's still wearing that horrible dress.

 

Hange looks knowingly between Levi and Erwin, eyes settling on the Commander. "You know that's not what I meant." they say, smiling secretively.

 

"Ah, here we are. You do still live in Utogarudo-jo, don't you?" he asks, transparently deflecting whatever Hange was hinting at. The TARDIS has landed, and Levi decides that he wants to see where the strange gold creature comes from. 

 

"Mhm!" Hange nods. "We've upgraded to a better place, since I'm now twice-married. Bigger bedroom, and more kitchen space."

 

Erwin smiles, walking across to open the door for the three aliens. Goodbyes are said, and then they're off. It's rather sudden in Levi's opinion, and he feels a little odd. Is that how it always is, then? Everything's so casual and natural, Erwin's just burnt down one of his friend's clubs, but it's all okay because they're safe.

 

Levi's head begins pounding, and he decides to lie down. Any questions he has for the Commander can wait until tomorrow, he thinks. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments/kudos/any signal that this fic is worth wasting my time on are much appreciated.  
> This is definitely the last fic for Jenn, I swear. Lol.


End file.
